Before she won a Grammy and before she became an international sensation, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio introduced the enigmatic singer Lila Downs to San Antonians with two free concerts that enthralled thousands of fans.
Now the singer-songwriter-activist who intones passion and angst in everything from corridos, cumbias, ballads and even hip-hop is returning to San Antonio to launch celebrations for Esperanza’s 25th anniversary in a concert Sunday, March 11 at Trinity University’s Laurie Auditorium.
The event - Dueña de las fronteras, Woman without Borders – also coincides with the Mexican-American singer’s release of a powerful new album, Sins and Miracles (Pecados y Milagros), compositions exploring religion, evil and redemption against the backdrop of a Mexico wracked by drug violence.
It is fitting that Downs, a fervent vocalist and lifetime activist, would honor Esperanza’s longstanding social justice achievements in 25 years of serving the community.
“Lila represents so much. She is what Esperanza is all about. She sings and talks about immigration, about poor people, women, women who are being killed, not just in Juarez but around the world,” said Esperanza director Graciela Sanchez. “People leave her concerts in love with her. She makes you think.”
Downs, the daughter of a Mixtec Indian singer and a Minnesota professor, says the new album explores themes inspired by events in Mexico as well as the recent adoption of a son with her partner and artistic director Paul Cohen.
“The reality of the country is a problem for the identity of Mexicans as human beings; we’re more than the headlines,” Downs, who lives in Mexico, told reporters recently as she began her U.S. tour to promote her new album.
It is the third time Esperanza sponsors Downs. The center first brought her to San Antonio in October 2004 in a free outdoor concert at Guadalupe Plaza and then again at Sunken Gardens in 2009. Esperanza asked the community to choose an artist they would like to have for their 25th anniversary and Downs was voted one of the top names. Downs, who was born in Oaxaca and resides in Mexico, readily agreed.
“She is the sort of artist we always support,” Sanchez said of Downs, whose haunting melodies in the 2002 movie Frida, in which she also had a small part, helped the film win an Academy award for best original score. In 2005, she won a Latin Grammy for her album One Blood about immigration and human rights, issues close to Esperanza’s heart and mission.
Although this concert isn’t free, Esperanza is making tickets available at reasonable prices, from $12 to $27 a seat. To help underwrite the event, those interested can meet the artist at an after-party fundraiser.
For more information about this convivio with Downs, contact Susana Segura at the Esperanza at (210) 228-0201
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